Jeff Koons (born 1955) has remained constantly in the public eye since he first showed his Equilibrium works--basketballs floating in tanks of water, framed Nike ads and a cast bronze lifeboat--at the influential East Village gallery International with Monument in 1985. Since that time, he has continued to scandalize the art world with such unforgettable works as “Michael Jackson and Bubbles” (1988), a series of life-size, gold-plated porcelain sculptures of the pop star and his pet chimpanzee; “Puppy,” (1992), a 43-foot-tall topiary sculpture of a West Highland terrier; and “Balloon Flower (Magenta)” (1995–2000), which broke all contemporary art auction records when it sold in 2008 for more than $25,000,000. This volume, published on the occasion of Koons’ summer 2012 show at the esteemed Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland, examines three of Koons’ most influential bodies of work in depth: The New (1980–87), featuring the vacuum cleaner works in Plexiglas cases; Banality (1988), featuring such iconic painted ceramic and wooden sculptural works as “Michael Jackson and Bubbles,” “Winter Bears” and “Woman in Tub”; and Celebration (ongoing since 1994), the legendary series of sculptures and paintings which includes the stainless steel “Balloon Dog” sculptures. Taken together, these three series represents the most spectacular and significant phases in Koons’ oeuvre to date.
Featured image, reproduced from Jeff Koons, is one of the vacuum cleaner works from The New series of the 1980s. In 1987, Koons was quoted in Flash Art: "In the beginning the work was viewed in relation to consumerism. The sociopolitical dialogue that people have with objects was treated in a very light manner, almost always without reference to its tragic side. And my work is very involved with the tragedy of unachievable states of being. The only way the work could be judged critically would be in light of the increasing reality of the desire to attain these unachievable states. My work has always pursued perfection, which is unachievable; nevertheless, it has continued in its tragic quest."
FORMAT: Hbk, 9.75 x 11.75 in. / 212 pgs / 70 color / 10 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $75.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $99 ISBN: 9783775733519 PUBLISHER: Hatje Cantz AVAILABLE: 10/31/2012 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of print AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: NA LA
Jeff Koons (born 1955) has remained constantly in the public eye since he first showed his Equilibrium works--basketballs floating in tanks of water, framed Nike ads and a cast bronze lifeboat--at the influential East Village gallery International with Monument in 1985. Since that time, he has continued to scandalize the art world with such unforgettable works as “Michael Jackson and Bubbles” (1988), a series of life-size, gold-plated porcelain sculptures of the pop star and his pet chimpanzee; “Puppy,” (1992), a 43-foot-tall topiary sculpture of a West Highland terrier; and “Balloon Flower (Magenta)” (1995–2000), which broke all contemporary art auction records when it sold in 2008 for more than $25,000,000. This volume, published on the occasion of Koons’ summer 2012 show at the esteemed Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland, examines three of Koons’ most influential bodies of work in depth: The New (1980–87), featuring the vacuum cleaner works in Plexiglas cases; Banality (1988), featuring such iconic painted ceramic and wooden sculptural works as “Michael Jackson and Bubbles,” “Winter Bears” and “Woman in Tub”; and Celebration (ongoing since 1994), the legendary series of sculptures and paintings which includes the stainless steel “Balloon Dog” sculptures. Taken together, these three series represents the most spectacular and significant phases in Koons’ oeuvre to date.
